PUNE, India, 4 June 2008 — Sambhaji Brigade, a militant outfit, has demanded Other Backward Classes (OBC) status for Marathas in Maharashtra. Taking a cue from the Gujjars in Rajasthan, the brigade has warned of a violent agitation if Marathas are not granted OBC status soon.
The warning from the militant organization has taken the wind out of the agitations of the Raj Thackeray-led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) and the Shiv Sena. The Sambhaji Brigade, named after the son of Maratha warrior Shivaji, is known for violent agitations.
Speaking to reporters here yesterday, brigade president Pravin Gaikwad said he had shot off a letter containing the demand to the state government and that his organization was backed by Maratha Sangh, Maratha Seva Sangh and Chhava party.
Responding to the ultimatum, Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh said a reply would be sent to the brigade by June 20. Their proposal has been sent to the state Backward Class Commission, Deshmukh said.
The brigade demand of OBC status for Marathas has been opposed by Kishore Damale, organizer of Satyashodhak Kashtakari Sabha, who said the community should instead be granted an independent status. For this to happen, a special provision has to be made in the Indian constitution.
As for the dominant presence of Marathas in the political life of the state, a recent study shows that this power rests only with 143 families in the state and this has no bearing on the rest of the Marathas who are mostly farmers and agricultural laborers, Damale said.
The chief of the city unit of the Nationalist Congress Party, Jaidev Gaikwad, said: “When the constitution was drafted, social and educational backwardness of communities were the factors that determined their status. But now the focus has shifted to economic backwardness.”
